Brake-gear for railroad-cars.



M. B. SGHAPPER BRAKE GEAR FOR RAILROAD CARS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 5, 1911.

Patented Oct. 1, 1912.

3 SHEETS' SHEET 1.

[R IN 7 Morsali, ,g' g g WIT/VESSL S C7Wzw M. B. SGHAPPER. BRAKE GEAR FOR RAILROAD CARS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 5, 1911. 1 039321 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Oct. 1, 1912.

M. B. SOHAFPER. BRAKE GEAR r7011 RAILROAD; was. v APPLICATION FILED MAY 5, 1911.

Patented 001;. 1, 1912.

MN [MW J n m J w W.

9 I m w w 1 NrrED sT 'rEs PATENT OFFICE.

MORSE 1B. SCI-IAFFER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CLARENCE H. HOWARD, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

l BRAKE-GEAR FOR RAILROAD-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 1, 1912.

Application filed May 1911. Serial No. 625,277.

' Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Brake-Gear for" Railroad-Cars, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in

which I Figure 1 is a top plan view ofia car truck embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1, omitting the brake-ram forming part of my invention. Fig. 3 is a half plan view of the truck (broken away) showing the brake-gear in top plan view. Fig.

4 is a side elevation of the truck (broken away) and a corresponding view of the brakegear. Fig. 5 is an inverted plan to enlarged scale of the car truck-bolster (broken away) at the attachment thereto of part of the brake mechanism. Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse section thereof on line 66 of Fig. 5. -Fig. 7 is a top plan view to enlarged scale, of part of the brake-gear detached from the bolster. Fig. 8 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 9 is a'plan view of one of the toggle-links forming part of my invention. Fig. 1() is' an edge view of the link. Fig. 11 is a plan view of the brake lever. Fig. 12 is an edge view of the brake lever. Fig. 13 is a side elevation of the brake-rams seen in Figs. 7 and 8. Fig. 14 is a top plan view of said ram.

My invention relates to air brake-gear for railway cars, and has for its object the elimination of a large number of parts such as brake beams, brake rods, chains, levers and like appendages ordinarily used in brake gear, to generallysimplify the construction of brake-gearing and to increase the efficiency of said gearing by arranging the parts so that the members carrying the brake shoes are in direct alinement with the car. wheels, and thus the power transmitted tothe brake shoe carrying member is directly. imparted to the'tread surfaces of the car wheels, and which arrangement overcoines any decrease or loss of, power due to side strains at the time the brake shoes are ap' lied. a p v the drawlngs, a represents the car truck-bolster in which is preferably formed the auxiliary air reservoir a, and b the wheels of the truck to which the brakes are applied. In the middle (or other suitable part) of the bolster a and auxiliary air reservoir a is formed or fixed the air brakecylinder 0 having the push-rod d which is operated by the piston e movable in the cylinder c.

f is an equalizing bar which is pivotally mounted in a slot in the'push-rod d by a bolt (or pin) (1. Attached in any suitable manner to the bolster a (or wall of the reservoir a) on its underside at each side of the truck between two succeeding wheels I), and having its longitudinal center alined to the center of the brake bearing surfaces of the latter, is the brake-ram guide It having openings 71' at each side for permitting free play to the brake lever y. I I On the top of the brake lever jgis formeda roundboss or stud 7a which is adapted to fit within a corresponding recess 1 in the under side of the bolster a, thereby forming a pivot or fulcrum about which the brakelever j is adapted to move in a horizontal m, m, are recesses in the lever j for recelving and forming thrust bearings for one end of thetoggle-links n, n. 0, 0, are brake-rams which are adapted to fit, and are movable longitudinally in alinement to each other in opposite directions within the guide h to and from the transverse center of the same,

theirv outer ends projecting beyond the guide it and their inner meeting ends 72 being'preferably diagonal shaped as shown.

In the rams 0, 0, areformed recesses r, v", for receiving and forming thrust bearings for the other ends of the'toggle-links n,

u, u,-are.the brake-shoes which are pi es;

ally attached to the outer ends of the brake w are;rods which are coupled at one end by. pins a: to the other ends of the brake-- levers 7',and at their other ends by pins y to the equalizing bar f, the connecting rods to being preferably, adjustable lengthwise respectively, by a turnbuckle a as shown.

w' (Fig; 5) are recesses in the underside of the bolster a for receiving the heads of the pins as. The toggle-links n, n, are preferably .connected at one end by pins 0 to the brake-levers jyon opposite sides of their ful crurns 7: respectively, and at their other ends rod d with the equalizing bar f" outward,

whereby the latter pulling on the connecting rods to partly rotates the brake-levers j about their fulcrums 71: and thereby cause the toggle-links. n, n, topush the brake rams 0, 0, outward in opposite directions and so press the brake-shoes a, u, against the wheels I).

Upon the release of the airpressure within the cylinder 0, the piston e returns to its normal position, consequently bringing about a reverse movement of the parts f, 'w, j, n and 0, which latterparts carryithe .brake shoes to, u, and thus the same are drawn away from the peripheries of the car wheels. j

My improved brake gear is comparatively simple, does away'with a large number of brake rods,chains and equalizin levers, and the rams carrying the brake s oes are arranged on the underside of the bolster in direct alinement with the car wheels, and for this reason great efiiciency is obtained owing to the direct application of power against the tread surfaces of the car wheel.

It will be readily understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of m improved brake gear may be made and su stituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim: i

1. In a car brake-gear of the classdescribed, the combination with a car. truck bolster, of a pair of rams ar'rangedfor movement on the underside'of the bolster between the car wheels, brake shoes carried by the outer ends ofsaid rams, a lever fulcrumed on the underside of the bolster for simultaneously imparting movement to said rams, andameans whereby said lever is actuated.

2: In a car brake-gear of the class described, the combination with a truck bol- 'ster, of an air brake cylinder carried by said bolster, a member arranged for movement in said cylinder adapted to be actuatediby air pressure in said cylinder, rams mounted on the under side of the bolster between the car wheels, brake shoes carried by the outer ends of said rams, and means for imparting simultaneous movement to said rams,

which ram moving means is connected to and actuated by theimember which is arranged for movement in the cylinder.

3. In acar brake-gear, the combination,

with a bolster, of a housing arranged on the underside thereof, a p ir of rams arranged for operation-in said busing between the car wheels,brake shoes carried by the outer ends of the rams for engagement with the tread surfaces of the car wheels, a lever fulcrumed in the housing, and members connecting said lever with the rams.

4. In a car'brake-gear, the combination with a bolster, of a housing arranged on the underside thereof, a pair of ra'ms'arranged for operation in said housmg between the car wheels, brake shoes carried by the outer ends of the rams for engagement with the tread surfaces of the cap wheels, a lever fulcrumed in the housing,

on the bolster, a piston within the cylinder, a push rod carried by the piston, and connections between said push rod and the levers.- Y

5. In a car brake-gear the combination with a bolster; of a brake cylinder carried thereby, a pair of rams arranged for slid ing movement between each pair of car wheels, brake shoes carried by the outer ends of said rams, and means operated directly by the air brake cylinder piston rod for imparting simultaneous movement to the rams.

6. ,In a'car brake-gear of the class described, an equalizing bar operated directly by the air brake-cylinder piston rod, and mechanism in connection with the brakeshoes and the said bar and carried by the car bolster, for moving the said shoes into and out of engagement with the car wheels.

7. In car brake-gear of the class described, the combination with the car truck-bolster, of an auxiliary air reservoir, an air brake- 'c linder adapted for communication with t e said reservoir by a suitable air regulating valve, a piston movable in the cylinder, a piston rod attached to said piston, an equalizing bar connected to said rod, two opposite brake-shoes located between and adapted for engagement with two succeeding wheels of the truck at each side thereof, and a rod connecting the equalizing bar with mechanism carried by the said bolster and adapted for moving the shoes into and out of ent gagement with the wherls;

8. Incar brake-gear of the class described, the combination with the car truck-bolster, of an auxiliary air reservoir, an air brakecylinder adapted for communication with the said reservoir by a suitable air regulating valve, a piston movable in the cylinder, a piston-rod attached to the piston, anequal izing bar connected to the piston-rod, two brake-rams alined with each other between, and in the plane of two succeedin wheels at each side of the said truck, a guide for the rams-which guide is fixed to the bolster, a brake-shoe attached to each of the rams, and a rod connecting the piston rod'with mechmembers connecting said lever w th the rams, a brake cylinder pivoted to said rod, two brake-rams alined with each other between, and in the plane of two succeeding wheels at each side of the truck, a guide for the rams fixed to the,

bolster, a brake-shoe attached to each of the rams, a lever pivoted to't-he bolster, a link coupled to the lever at one side of its pivot and adaptedto engage one of the rams, a link coupled to the ever at the opposite side of its pivot and adapted to en ago one of the rams, a link coupled to the ever at the opposite side of its pivot and adapted to en-' gage the other ram, and a rod connecting the lever with the piston ,rod.

, 10 In a car brake gear of the class described, the combination with a truck bolster provided with an air brake cylinder, of a pair of rams supported by and arranged beneath said bolster between the car wheels, brake shoes carried by the outer ends of said rams, a fulcrumed lever connected to the rams for simultaneously imparting movement thereto, a piston within the cyl inder, a piston rod, and connections from said piston rod to the lever.

11. In an air brake gearof the class described, the combination with a truck bolster provided with an air brake cylinder, of .brake shoes supported from-the bolster for engagin with the car wheels, a piston within the air brake cylinder, a piston rod, and connections from said piston rod to'the brake shoes for simultaneously moving the same into engagement with the car wheels and which connections include fulcrumed levers and toggle links thereto.

pivotally connected In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this second day of May, 1911. v

MORSE B. SCHAFFER. Witnesses:

' C. T. WESTLAKE, HAL C. BELLVILLE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for live cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. c." v 

